Manchester United vs Bournemouth

In-form Manchester United will be looking to pick up where they left off in 2022 when they take on relegation-threatened Bournemouth at Old Trafford in their first Premier League game of 2023.

Marcus Rashford’s second-half heroics fired Manchester United to a hard-fought 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, helping them end 2022 on a high. Having won three consecutive Premier League matches down the final stretch of the last calendar year, Erik ten Hag’s men could make it four in a row for the first time under the Dutchman’s guidance. That’s necessary if they’re to at least maintain a two-point lead on fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, whom they jumped over in the standings at the weekend. So Bournemouth’s upcoming visit to Old Trafford couldn’t have been timed any better, with the ‘Red Devils’ mustering eight victories in their nine previous home H2Hs in all competitions (D1). Furthermore, Man Utd have won their last three home league outings by an aggregate score of 6-0 and could make it four on the bounce for the first time since 2017.

On the other hand, visiting Bournemouth rolled over against Crystal Palace in their final top-flight fixture of 2022, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat, their second successive such result since the Premier League return to action in the festive period. Having lost six of their last seven league matches (W1), the ‘Cherries’ may consider themselves lucky for holding a slender two-point lead on 18th-placed Nottingham Forest. However, unless they defy a woeful eight-match away record in the Premier League this season (W1, D2, L5), they could soon find themselves drawn back into the relegation fight. Gary O’Neil’s first assignment will be to stem the bleeding on the road, with Bournemouth conceding a league-high 26 goals on their travels this term at an average of 3.25 per game.